1. Technical Field
Illustrative embodiments relate generally to computerized pillow-fitting methods and apparatuses. More particularly, illustrative embodiments relate to computerized pillow-fitting apparatuses and methods that produce a pillow based on an individual's characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
An average person spends over 2,500 hours a year with his or her head on a pillow. Besides diet, sleep is an important factor for an individual's health and appearance. When the neck, head, and face have proper support and are not subjected to undue stress, an individual's health and appearance can benefit in many ways.
For example, a good night's sleep with a properly fitted pillow will help to decrease facial wrinkles due to proper neck and head support. Further, a properly fitted pillow decreases undue stress on the facial area and slows the aging process because proper sleep rejuvenates and repairs bodily organs and muscles, and helps reduce snoring by properly aligning the neck and pharynx, i.e., open the airway, to its maximum extent.
People customarily rest their heads on a pillow when sleeping on a mattress. Most individuals desire relaxing, enjoyable, refreshing, and undisturbed sleep. Pillows help accomplish these desires by providing proper support to necks and heads during sleep. Pillows can also provide a pleasant soft and cool sensation to the skin of an individual's neck and face, which also contributes to relaxing and undisturbed sleep.
People have very different body types and sleeping habits. Further, there are significant differences in height, weight, body type, age and other physical characteristics among different people.
People also have different preferred sleeping positions. For example, some people prefer to sleep on their backs, while others prefer sleeping on their stomachs or sides.
Pillows also have varying characteristics. For example, pillows have different sizes, shapes, densities, firmnesses, constructions, and materials. Therefore, different pillows best suit the varying sleeping needs of different people.
Significant problems arise when people do not use an appropriate pillow for sleep. A poorly constructed or worn out pillow can cause back, shoulder and neck pain. As a result, a person using the wrong pillow will have an unpleasant sleeping experience. The person may also be harmed by the lack of sleep and the unnatural or unhealthy position and support of the head and neck relative to the body for extended periods of time due to the improper pillow.
Unfortunately, most individuals are unable to determine the appropriate pillow because they are unaware of the different types of pillows and the various parameters that should influence their selection of a pillow. Further, despite having a similar appearance, one pillow may differ significantly from another pillow in the respective filling or thread count, for example, thus affecting the support that the pillow provides. Even if individuals are aware of the different types of pillows and the various parameters that should influence their selection of a pillow, such individuals may nevertheless fail to weigh the various parameters objectively, or their selection may be influenced by their subjective response to the pillow (e.g., how the pillow “feels” to the individual).
Therefore, a need exists to supply people with the proper pillow so that the proper sleeping experience can be achieved. A need also exists for an apparatus that objectively selects the proper pillow for individuals by weighing relevant parameters, including but not limited to the individual's physical characteristics and the structural characteristics of available pillows.